Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires .17 HMR Lethality?

What is the largest thing that you have killed, or have seen killed, with the .17 HMR?

For me, it was a sick-with-mange coyote that weighed 20 lbs. or so. A 17gr. V-Max behind the shoulder at 15 yds. electrocuted him.

RS

'Bout 20-22 Lb Raccoon, same placement as 'yote, Bang, flop no exit wound. It EXPLODES Buzzards & Crows.

Aren't buzzards federally protected?

I believe so, but so are my calves protected, the bastages will kill a new calf for a meal. But I really just scare em off.................

I've heard it will turn a Bluejay into a "blew"-jay...... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Virgil B.

T - Not doubting you, but the buzzard thing is new to me. Are they doing it while being born, or still struggling to get feet aunder theirselves. Our cows would quickly put a stop to that, as theydo coyote or dog. Our cows also like to sneak off to birth, so pretty much on their own until bringing calf to join herd. We did have a epidemic once of 'yotes eating calf while being birthed. That was settled el mano/elmano. Haven't had that happen since, but don't give it a chance to be a learned thing either.

Shoot all the SOB's you can, we sure don't need that behavior migrating back North, and THANK YOU!!! Our cows like to birth at night, while I'm in (supposed to be) bed, LOL!

We have more buzzards than you can imagine down here, hell a road kill possum will usually draw in 2-30 of em. The get the calves in the first day or so, after that they are pretty safe and ours tend to calve in daytime. We are talking Angus/shorthorn cross for beef. we are a small cow & calf hobby outfit. Usually 8-12 calve a year, can't afford to lose ANY!

The song dogs are just starting to spread down here, have clobbered 2 since last spring.

My problems here come from the cheese (think you get it) left for the few days. Draws them in, expecially in Spring. Seems to fascinate the younger coyotes something awful. The coyotes eat it, and some of them seem to hang around for more. Then they die. Otherwise I'll leave the 'yote alone, (until season anyway). When cow/calf join up, the babysitters and rest of herd can handle the coyotes from there on.

If I have to shoot 'yote, the vultures eat them, LOL!!!

Edit: Our epidemic came about through the Disneyland intentions of a young farmer and his city wife. She refused to allow her husband to shoot them as she enjoyed them "playing" out in the field. He made it as difficult as he could for the 'yotes, but they just applied their conditioning next door. Neighbor told me she had a "attitude" adjustment while watching "FiFi" get ate in the yard one morning, when he wasn't home to help her. I don't know if she would shoot one now or not, but her husband told me he watched her about wreck the pickup one afternoon trying to run over a coyote in the hayfield. So sounds like a permanent"attitude" adjustment, LOL!

Thanks for the info, T!

I've never been impressed with the HMR....way, way to many wounded critters run off with a bullet in the brisket.....

Stick to any centerfire for similar game and you'd be better off....

I know this is bad, but I know a few night road hunters that have killed deer with the 17HMR. I do not condone it at all, however you asked the question. The largest critter I have ever shot was a coyote at about 60 yards. He didn't like it at all..........Blake

I have shot upwards of 100 crows with the .17 HMR using Hornady 17 gr. V-Max ammo; ranges from 40 yards to right at 200 yards. All have either burst into a feather puffs or just fell over stone cold dead - regardless of reaction; dead either way.

a half-dozen beavers have fell victim to my .17... Single shot to the head and it was over. Many times the exploded particulent matter sprayed the far side water for a couple yards...

So far, two foxes (both red) found the .17 to be more than they wanted. Both were hit single times and both dropped on the spot; one had a exit hole.

One bob cat at 100 yards took the .17 behind the shoulder and never took another step. It was like turning a light off and it was over.

Several coyotes, would say 3 or 4, have so far been on the .17 HMR's diet list... Shot one in the head and it never moved after the shot. One or two were shot behind the shoulder and they ran 25 to 30 yards before plowing up the dirt. One I know of was shot dead on in the shoulder, it took off like a bolt of lightning for about 70 yards then stopped, tried to bite the entrance wound of the shot and I was able to put another shot in the coyote. This time the shot was to the neck and the coyote dropped like a sack of tators...

the newer 20 gr solid pills added a new level of lethality. the advantage of the HMR is extreme accuracy. I take advantage of this by going for head shots, or behind the ear shots.

I've taken a 200+ lb hog with a 20 gr behind the ear. It shattered her spine and brain. I was late season squirrel hunting and did not plan for it. If you don't have time for precision, then I dunno. Coons, nutrias, beavers and wild dogs have fallen to shoulder shots. Mid body shots, if not placed perfectly will send an animal wounded.

Deer have been taken, but thankfully many poachers see the HMR as a weak poaching gun.

Do y'all have any thoughts re: the .17HMR for turkeys? Destroy a lot of meat with a body hit?

After seeing scads of them this fall beyond shotgun range, I'm starting to think in terms of chasing them with a light rifle next year. The .17 comes to mind. Thanks.

I wouldn't know personally, cuz it's illegal here, but I HEAR..........
a shot in the middle of the back between the wings will drop them
like a brick and there will be very little, if any meat wasted. The
neck is also a good place, and the HMR is accurate enough to
take such a shot.

This GroundHog did a bang-flop with my 17HMR..

have shot a few yotes with mine and as well as it shoots the 20 gr offering i would have no issue using it on turkeys if legal. put it in the head or neck or if given the option from behind i would run it right into the spine at the neck joint and should be a 100% dead bird really quick.

T Lee ,

A friend that lives south of Macon ,Ga. told me the same thing about buzzards attacking newborn calves.I had never heard of such.
Guys i've read a little here and there about the shooting of birds.There are generally 3 birds known as feral birds [pidgeons-sparrows-starlings] and a couple of states now have the euro-asian collard dove on the list.
I despise bluejays and have killed many but if someone were to get caught shooting a federally protected songbird -YOU "COULD" BE IN BIG TROUBLE.If a law person wanted to push the issue -someone could be in more trouble than you'd believe over a stupid loud sqauking jay.
We use to keep a fixed barrel -magnum spring air pellet rifle in the truck and kill crows <--protected and ravens <-- protected and some other schitbirds until we were warned!!
Man that was alot of fun to see a big city crow totally oblivious to people go down like a ton of schit.Sometimes as many as three got it as they swarmed their fallin comrade.

Didn't mean to get the thread off track -so on the 17hmr topic i've killed countless pd's ,2-3 coyotes ,badger ,crows ,feral cats and a bluestarling or 10 <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />.
If i had a dime for every 17hmr thread i've read --i'd have alot of dimes!
Threads over at predator masters -17hmr or 223 ?<--Silly i know -but many over the years.Park a 17hmr beside a 223 or consider 4.5gr of powder compared to ballpark->27gr of powder in the 223.And a 17gr bullet at 2550fps compared to a 223's 50gr bullet at 3500fps.
The first time i saw the HMR ammo i bought a box of it and went to research which rifle <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />->they are very cool for what they were designed for small game/pest varmints.
Well best of luck and long live the hmr -gotto go i think i hear a blue-xx no i mean starling <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />Mike

Rifles, handguns, shotguns (with #4,5,6 shot), and vertical bows are legal for turkeys here in Md., during the Fall season only. Shotguns ( with #4,5,6 shot), or vertical bows, only for Spring gobblers.

I've shot crows with a 22-250 and have never turned one into a feather puff, although it will knock feathers out. Shot a crow with a Hornet, V-max bullet doing about 3100, at 60 yards or so, and it didn't puff it out, either. Knocked a few feathers out, but nothing spectacular.

Shot lots of crows with a .223. Never went to inspect most of them, but I don't remember a shower of feathers, either.

The bullet is extremely frangible. But so is the 33 gr. V-Max for the Hornet.

I won't try stretching the HMR out too far. Well, I don't have one, so I won't even try it at short range. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

If someone would be me the ammo I wanted, I might buy one, but at the current prices, I don't think so.

Hornady has a strong commitment to this round. Remington did NOT have a strong commitment to their 5mm round. So long as the commitment lasts, so will the ammo, and so will the gun.

But I do think the blush is off the rose, as I said somewhere else. I would be there are a lot less of them being sold now than last year.

Rifles are legal for turkey in Wyoming. Base of the neck and you're done. I am not sure if the 17 HMR is legal though. The minimum was the 22 Mag but there was talk of adding the 17 into the mix.